Tag Archives: Real Life

Are you a writer? A new writer? An aspiring bestselling author? Or a reader, curious about the writer’s life?

Have you ever said to yourself, Ugh, I hate when real life gets in the way or I had to deal with real life today…?

See, I used to say that stuff, too. There was always this idea that the writing wasn’t real. It was something that came second to everything else, no matter what that was. The writing was the first to go when life went through an upheaval.

But sometime in the last year or two… [and I think it started during my contracted writing hiatus!], I stopped thinking about everything else as real life.

Writing is Real Life. And you know what? Sometimes I let stuff get in the way of Real Life…

After reading a few articles in the past week, including this one, HERE, part of me was like. Yeah. That’s right. Writing is the important part! If we’re not writing, there’s nothing to sell. Which led me to think about how much I write and when I write and how I’ve made it a priority. This article, HERE, was a good reminder of how social can often take over my life. Even when social media feels like Real Life, it’s not. Not the promotions, not the family photos, not the political debates,…that ain’t real, people! Get off it and write.

Tuesday was supposed to be my big start into editing Book 4. But I spent the day helping the husband get ready to take a trip [not really helping, but just doing all that weird busy stuff that doesn’t seem to matter when the day is said and done!]. Wednesday, I had a board meeting for an organization I belong to. Tomorrow, I made plans to have a get together with friends. You know what? [I love all of those things. But I haven’t written anything this week!]

It’s time to get back to Real Life. The job. The goal. The dream. It’s okay to do those things…as long as I’m also taking care of my career. And that is true for the writers…and doctors, and cosmetologists, and …everyone.

What about you? What keeps you from getting the work done? From writing that next chapter? From submitting to the next agent or editor?

Post a comment for a chance to win a copy of Cindy Skagg’s new release [out today!!], Survive by the Team! Book Three of the Team Fear Series. <3

Happy Writing!

Beth

Mandi Gault never met a man brave enough to openly date a mortician, so when a good-looking man with twelve-pack abs invites her to coffee, she’s not asking any questions. Too bad he’s trying to kill her.

Danny Gault died in a conspiracy threatening Team Fear—his defunct military team—so when Gault’s sister winds up in the hospital, former teammate Stills is forced to leave the safety of the team’s compound. He recognizes her attacker as a member of a rogue military unit with orders to eliminate Team Fear. Now they’re on the run while they unravel why Team Echo wants her dead.

As the danger escalates, they share a wild night of down and dirty fun that would put a blush on a corpse, but Stills made it clear it was one and done. Now he must decide if he’s brave enough to forget about vengeance… and live.

Military trained, medically enhanced, designed to kill. The surviving members of Team Fear are out of the military and in a world of secrets, lies, and cover-ups in this fast-paced romantic suspense series by Cindy Skaggs.

Beth jumps into life with both feet...or head first. Impulsive and spontaneous to a T, she joined Passionate Critters and never looked back. She loves writing and reading, which made this wonderful group of woman a perfect match for her.

Do you ever wish you had done something differently? Wish that you’d had something extra inside of you to stand up when things didn’t seem right? That happened to me this week. And I ended my day, thinking…

This is why we write books.

I went to drop my daughter off at school. I noticed a man, sitting on the bench outside. He was average good-looking and wore a Captain America shirt. And when we started for the door, so did he. Okay. No biggie. Lots of people come and go from the school. And I don’t know everyone. But because he caught my attention in that odd way, I locked my car, which I never do when I’m running into the school at noon to drop my daughter off.

I opened the front door, but didn’t wait for him, either, which is also something I would normally have done. Out of politeness, you know? And then I approached the inner door to the office and I rang the bell to get in. The guy waited behind me, but instead of waiting “in line,” he moved beyond me into the corner. Abnormal? Yes. Red flags [or yellow if you’re a football fan] were waving in my head. I was let into the office and he came in with me. Also a regular occurrence. Happens all the time. Other moms. Dads. Grandparents.

I went to the “visitor sign in” desk, and he went to the front desk and said, “I’m here to pick up my son.”

Front desk Lady: “What’s his teacher’s name?” [they ALWAYS ask that, even when you think they ought to know by now, they ask]

Mr. RedFlag: Mrs. Farfignewton [he said a name that didn’t exist]

The Front desk ladies look at each other, and I’m thinking, “What an asshole, deadbeat dad. Doesn’t even know what his kid’s teacher’s name is.” The front ladies asked him what his son’s name is, and he said, “Richard.”

WHAT THE FUCK? Richard? Really? I know this sounds crazy. But as parents and active members of a school community, you just get used to hearing names. And believe me, RICHARD is NOT one of them. So the Front desk ladies are wary by now and they ask him, “His last name?”

Mr. RedFlag: Uh…Smith.

By then, I’m actually getting nervous. I let some dipwad in the door, and he’s a very bad man. And i’m also thinking, well this guy isn’t getting anyone from this school. And then I wished I never let him in. Wished I’d listened to the voice inside me that knew something was off.

That’s when he identified himself as from the Sheriff’s department. And he had a partner who came in at that point as well, and I’m not going to mention how good-looking and romance hero worthy they both were. <3 And even knowing they are the good guys and were probably doing random checks on the safety of the schools [there was a kidnapping a couple of weeks ago where a woman picked up her daughter from school], I was also mad. One, at them for pulling the stunt [even though it really wasn’t a stunt] and two, at the world that this is what we’ve been reduced to. That we must be suspicious of everything, everyone. Sad.

But the writer in me will take that scene, and she’ll turn it into a romance. Because the principal will be a younger single woman who will take offense. And then when she and the Sheriff’s deputy happen to run into each other later that weekend, sparks will fly.

And…maybe, somewhere in that book, a mom will do the right thing and NOT let that Dipwad through the door. She’ll know that something is off, and she’ll close the door behind her without letting him in the front office. 🙁 That’s what we can do in our books. We can make the world hopeful and less scary.

Beth jumps into life with both feet...or head first. Impulsive and spontaneous to a T, she joined Passionate Critters and never looked back. She loves writing and reading, which made this wonderful group of woman a perfect match for her.

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From suspense to sweet or sinfully erotic, or in the past, present or future...we write to entertain our readers. From aspiring to multi-published, we are romance authors, seeing life through our own heart-shaped glasses. Enjoy the view!

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